Recognition mechanism and sequence optimization of organophosphorus pesticides aptamers for better monitoring contaminations in food

Aptamers as a kind of biological recognition element have shown great potential in monitoring and the rapid quantification of organophosphorus pesticides(OPPs). However, molecules of OPPs are structurally similar and original aptamers selected by systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment are usually long-chain bases, which hamper the further application under OPPs-aptamer recognition. The aim of the research was to develop a new strategy to design oligonucleotide sequences for binding OPPs by combination of experimental and molecular modeling methods. 3D models of aptamers binding OPPs were constructed, and binding energy and the most probable binding site for the OPPs were then determined by molecular docking, and the binding sites were further confirmed by the results of 2-AP replaced experiments. Based on the docking results, a new aptamer for detection 4 representative OPPs with only 29 bases was designed by reasonable truncation and mutation of the reported aptamer(named S4-29). The interaction between this new aptamer and OPPs were analyzed by molecular docking, microscale thermophoresis, circular dichroism and fluorometric analysis. The results revealed that the new aptamer exhibit more superior recognition performance to OPPs, which can be promote the monitoring ability of OPPs contaminations in food.

Computational interaction analysis of organophosphorus pesticides with different metabolic proteins in humans

Pesticides have the potential to leave harmful effects on humans, animals, other living organisms, and the environment. Several human metabolic proteins inhibited after exposure to organophosphorus pesticides absorbed through the skin, inhalation, eyes and oral mucosa, are most important targets for this interaction study. The crystal structure of five different proteins, PDBIDs： 3LII, 3NXU, 4GTU, 2XJ1 and 1YXA in Homo sapiens （H. sapiens）, interact with organophosphorus pesticides at the molecular level. The 3-D structures were found to be of good quality and validated through PROCHECK, ERRAT and ProSA servers. The results show that the binding energy is maximum -45.21 relative units of cytochrome P450 protein with phosmet pesticide. In terms of H-bonding, methyl parathion and parathion with acetylcholinesterase protein, parathion, methylparathion and phosmet with protein kinase C show the highest interaction. We conclude that these organophosphorus pesticides are more toxic and inhibit enzymatic activity by interrupting the metabolic pathways in H. sapiens.

Enzyme Inhibition Rate Method for Rapid Detection of Organophosphorus and Carbamate Pesticides in Cowpea

[Objectives ] The paper was to explore enzyme inhibition rate method for rapid detection of organophosphorus and carbamate pesticides in cowpea. [ Methods ] Acetylcholinesterase （ACHE） was added to cowpea extract, to determine the inhibition rate of extract against enzyme. The influences of different sampiing methods and sampling parts on detection results were compared. [ Results] The positive rate of standard sampling was 18.18% higher than that of non-stand- ard sampling, and the positive rate of samples collected from cowpea tail was 16.67% higher than that collected from other parts. [ Condmions] Enzyme inhibi- tion rate method is suitable for rapid detection of organophosphorus and carbamate pesticides in cowpea.

Comparison of Two Procedures for Extraction and Clean-up of Organophosphorus and Pyrethroid Pesticides in Sediment

Two procedures were compared for extraction and clean-up of 20 organophosphorus and 19 pyrethroid pesticides in sediment to identify the more effective procedure for groups of pesticides or individual compounds. In Procedure Ⅰ,methanol/water and n-hexane were used for extraction,and 1:10 (v/v) dichloromethane in n-hexane and acetone were used as eluents for eluting the analyte through the cartridge,with one evaporating steps on a rotary evaporator and two eluting steps on the cartridge. n-hexane/acetone (2:1,v/v) was used for extraction and elution in Procedure Ⅱ with one evaporating step on a rotary evaporator and one eluting step on the cartridge. All extractions were performed under an ultrasonic bath and gas chromatography and mass spectrometry were utilized for measurements. Procedure Ⅱ was developed as a rapid,timesaving,less costly and safer substitute for Procedure Ⅰ which was an old method. Procedure Ⅱ was more effective for ahnost all the organophosphorus pesticides tested and 11 of the 19 pyrethroid pesticides,while Procedure Ⅰ was more appropriate for analysis of 5 pyrethroid pesticides. However,recoveries of most pyrethroid pesticides were fairly low. Thus,further studies should focus on adjustment and formulation of solvents for more efficient extraction and clean-up of pyrethroid pesticides from sediment samples.

Carboxylic Esterase and Its Associations With Long-term Effects of Organophosphorus Pesticides

To examine a） the effect of organophosphorus pesticide exposure on activity of carboxylic esterases, namely butyrylcholinesterase （BChE）, carboxylesterase （CarbE） and paraoxonase （PonE）; and b） the association of polymorphisms of BChE and PonE with individual genetic susceptibility to organophosphorus pesticide exposure. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in 75 workers exposed to organophosphorus pesticides and 100 non-exposed controls. The serum activity of these enzymes was measured. Variant forms of BCHE-K, PON-192, and PON-55 were detected. A symptom score was developed as a proxy measure of clinical outcomes. Results Activities of both BChE and CarbE were lower in exposed workers （27.3±21.65 runol.hl.mL^-l and 235.6±104.03 nmol-min^-l.mL^-l） than in non-exposed workers （78.313±30.354 nmol.h^-l.mL^-1 and 362.681_＋194.997 nmol.min^-1.mL^-1）. The activity of PonE was not associated with exposure status. The AChE activity in the exposed workers with BCHE-K genotype UU （61 cases）, genotype UK （12 cases） and genotype KK （2 cases） was 105.05, 84.42 and 79.00 mmol-h^-1.mL^-1, respectively and the accumulative symptom scores were 3.74, 9.17, and 12.50 accordingly. The AChE activity in the exposed workers with PON-192 genotype BB （37）, genotype AB （27） and genotype AA （11） was 116.8, 91.2, and 72,3 mmol-h^-1.mL^-1, respectively and the symptom scores were 2.00, 6.74, and 9.73 accordingly. The AChE activity in those with PON-55 genotype LL （70） and genotype LM （5） was 102.4 and 82.8 mmol-h^-1.mL^-1 and the symptom scores were 4.53 and 9.20. The symptom score was the highest in individuals with abnormal homozygote for each of the three gene loci. Condusions Long-term exposure to organophosphorus pesticides can inhibit BChE and CarbE activity, but exerts no inhibitory effect on PonE activity. Different genotypes of BCHE-K, PON-192, and PON-55 may be related to the severity of adverse health effects of organophosphorus pesticide exposure. Implications of potentially higher susceptibility of workers with mutant homozygotes should be evaluated to reduce health risks.

Application of Current Hapten in the Production of Broad Specificity Antibodies Against Organophosphorus Pesticides

Diethylphosphono acetic acid （DPA） was used as a current hapten to generate broad specificity polycolonal antibodies against a group of organophosphorus pesticides. Six New Zealand white rabbits were immunized with immunogens synthesized by the active ester method （AEM） or 1-ethyl-3-（3-dimethylaminopropyl）-carbodimide method （EDC）. The titers of antisera reached 25 600 by AEM and 6 400 by EDC, respectively. Polyclonal antibodies raised against DPA were screened and selected for the competitive indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （CI-ELISA）. A CI-ELISA for DPA was developed with a detection limit of 3.536 ng mL^-1and an I50 value of 0.182 μg mL^-1. The assay specificity was evaluated by obtaining competitive curves for several structurally related compounds as competitors. The antiserum showed high affinities to chlorpyrifos, diazinon, omethoate, parathion-ethyl and profenofos with I50 of 0.12, 0.15, 0.21, 0.88, 0.97 and 2.5 μg mL^-1, respectively. The results indicate that the assay could be a screening tool for quantitation and semiquantitation determination of the above former five organophosphorus pesticides.

Complete genome sequence of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens YP6, a plant growth rhizobacterium efficiently degrading a wide range of organophosphorus pesticides

Bacillus amyloliquefaciens YP6,a plant growth promoting rhizobacteria,is capable of efficiently degrading a wide range of organophosphorus pesticides(OPs).Here,we report the complete genome sequence of this bacterium with a genome size of 4009619 bp,4210 protein-coding genes and an average GC content of 45.9%.Based on the genome sequence,several genes previously described as being involved in solubilizing-phosphorus,OPs-degradation,indole-3-acetic acid(IAA)and siderophores synthesis.Interestingly,compared with the genomes of B.amyloliquefaciens species,strain YP6 had larger genome size and the most protein-coding genes.Moreover,the four categories of“cell envelope biogenesis,outer membrane(M),”“translation,ribosomal structure and biogenesis(J),”“transcription(K),”and“signal transduction mechanisms(T)”were fewer.These differences may be related to extensive environmental adaptability of the genus B.amyloliquefaciens.These results expand the application potential of strain YP6 for environmental bioremediation,provide gene resources involved in OPs degradation for biotechnology and gene engineering,and contribute to provide insights into the relationship between microorganism and living environment.

Spectroscopic Analysis of Organophosphorus Pesticides Using Colorimetric Reactions

The UV-Vis and infrared(IR)absorption spectra of organophosphorus(OP)pesticides have been studied.A correlation in spectra was developed to optimize the OP pesticides in the environments.The spectroscopic(UV-Vis and IR)spectrum of OP pesticides like methyl parathion,malathion and parathion has been interpreted in detail.A complete calculation of the normal frequencies and absolute intensities of UV-Vis and IR absorption bands are interpreted with the help of corresponding experimental data.In the colorimetric reactions,the bands appear at 2 077,1 637,1 455,1 015,655cm^(-1) for malathion;2 081,1 639,1 316,1 015,794,683cm^(-1) for parathion;2 078,1 632,1 032,794cm^(-1) for methyl parathion were used for quantitative or qualitative analysis.All these IR spectra were acquired by averaging 100 scans at a resolution of 4cm^(-1).It is determined experimentally in the region 200~450nm for UV-Vis absorption bands and in the region 400~4 000cm^(-1) for IR absorption bands.It is concluded that the mainly optically active groups(P—OH, C=O,P=O, C—O—C,P—O—C, P=S, —OH)present in pesticides which are responsible in change in significant data for quantitative and qualitative analysis.The various optical properties like wavelength,band energy,wave number,and frequency,also are calculated.

Multi-Residue Analysis of Organophosphorus Pesticides in Vegetable Using GC-MS

This study investigates the levels of pesticide residues in Cucumbers (Cucumis sativus), potatoes (Solanum tuberosum subsp. Tuberosum) and tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum). The samples were minced in a food processor initially subjected to extraction followed by cleanup using solid phase extraction (SPE) column. Separation was performed on a GC capillary column (Rtx-5 ms-30 m × 0.25 mm× 0.25 μm). The sample was injected by using splitless mode, helium as the carrier gas followed by quadrupole mass spectrometry detection. The mobile phase flow rates, column temperatures, and MS parameters were all optimized to reach high sensitivity and selectivity. Seven pesticides were detected in tomatoes sample, six in cucumber and four in potatoes samples. The findings indicate risks and concerns for public health.

Separation of chlorinated hydrocarbons and organophosphorus, pyrethroid pesticides by silicagel fractionation chromatography and their simultaneous determination by GC-MS

A silicagel fractionation procedure for environmental sample extracts, which separates chlorinated hydrocarbons(CHCs) and organophosphorus, pyrethroid pesticides into two groups for subsequent instrumental analysis, was developed in this study. This method was achieved by optimizing the fraction cut-off volume of elution and different solvents. Using fully activated silica gel and cut-off CHCs collection after 10 ml 10% dichloromethane (DCM) in n-hexane passing through the column resulted in satisfactory separation of CHCs and organophosphorus, pyrethroid pesticides. This procedure had a higher reliability for CHCs than for organophosphorus, pyrethroid pesticides, because there is a relatively reliable recovery for CHCs. This approach is less expensive due to reducing sample pre-treatment time and solvent consumption.

Study of multiresidue analytical method for organonitrogen and organophosphorus pesticides in soil and water

A gas chromatographic method without derivatization was developed for the residue analysis of 10 organonitrogen and 9 organophosphorus pesticides in soil and water. The samples were blended or shaken with acetone for extraction. The extracts were cleaned up by coagulation, then, re-extracted with three 50 ml portions of dichloromethane. The final residue was detected by gas chromatography equipped with NPD. All of the 19 pesticides were completely separated at a constant temperature. The method described above was applicable to the simultaneous determination of 10 organonitrogen and 9 organophosphorus pesticides .in soil and water with the satisfactory recovery (from 82.42% to 103.57%), coefficient of variance (from 0.17% to 12.57%) and limit of detection (from 0.0006 ppm to 0.058 ppm).

Disposable Amperometric Acetylcholinesterase Biosensor for the Detection of Organophosphorus Pesticides

A rapid,simple,disposable and inexpensive acetylcholinesterase (ACHE) amperometric biosensor for the detection of organophosphorus pesticides was developed by simple adsorption of the enzyme on screen-printed electrodes.The biosensor consisted of an Ag/AgCl reference electrode and a graphite working electrode.The mixture of graphite and the 7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ) was printed on electrodes.The detection of organophosphorus pesticides was done with acetylthiocholine chloride (ATCh) as substrate.The biosensor was used to detect the inhibitory effect of organophosphorus pesticides on AChE activity.The 1μl of enzyme solution containing 0.1 U AChE and 1% bovine serum albumin (BSA) were simply dropped on the working electrode surface.The biosensor operated at a potential of 300 mV vs. Ag/AgCl in a pH 7.2 0.1 mol/L phosphate buffer and 0.1 mol/L KCl.We obtained a calibration plot of the percentage inhibition versus the logarithm of parathion methyl concentration following an incubation time of 10 mix in parathion methyl solution. The lowest detectable amount of parathion methyl was 0.026 ppm.The amperometric biosensor based on acetylcholinesterase was disposable and low cost (about 1 yuan RMB).

Recent Advances in Degradation of Organophosphorus Pesticides

With the growing demand for environmental protection and physical health,food safety is now receiving more and more attention all over the world.However,pesticides are indispensable in agricultural production.Therefore,how to efficiently degrade pesticides and remove their residues in foods has always been a hot research topic in recent decades.This paper not only summarizes the types,degradation mechanism and artificial degradation of organophosphorus pesticides,but also highlights the latest advances in chemical degradation,photocatalytic degradation and biodegradation.

Role of penehyclidine in acute organophosphorus pesticide poisoning

BACKGROUND:Penehyclidine is a newly developed anticholinergic agent.We aimed to investigate the role of penehyclidine in acute organophosphorus pesticide poisoning(OP)patients.METHODS:We searched the Pubmed,Cochrane library,EMBASE,Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure(CNKI),Chinese Biomedical literature(CBM)and Wanfang databases.Randomized controlled trials(RCTs)recruiting acute OP patients were identifi ed for meta-analysis.Main outcomes included cure rate,mortality rate,time to atropinization,time to 60%normal acetylcholinesterase(AchE)level,rate of intermediate syndrome(IMS)and rate of adverse drug reactions(ADR).RESULTS:Sixteen RCTs involving 1,334 patients were identifi ed.Compared with the atropineor penehyclidine-alone groups,atropine combined with penehyclidine significantly increased the cure rate(penehyclidine+atropine vs.atropine,0.97 vs.0.86,RR 1.13,95%CI[1.07–1.19];penehyclidine+atropine vs.penehyclidine,0.93 vs.0.80,RR 1.08,95%CI[1.01–1.15])and reduced the mortality rate(penehyclidine+atropine vs.atropine,0.015 vs.0.11,RR 0.17,95%CI[0.06–0.49];penehyclidine+atropine vs.penehyclidine,0.13 vs.0.08,RR 0.23,95%CI[0.04–1.28]).Atropine combined with penehyclidine in OP patients also helped reduce the time to atropinization and AchE recovery,the rate of IMS and the rate of ADR.Compared with a single dose of atropine,a single dose of penehyclidine also signifi cantly elevated the cure rate,reduced times to atropinization,AchE recovery,and rate of IMS.CONCLUSION:Atropine combined with penehyclidine benefi ts OP patients by enhancing the cure rate,mortality rate,time to atropinization,AchE recovery,IMS rate,total ADR and duration of hospitalization.Penehyclidine combined with atropine is likely a better initial therapy for OP patients than atropine alone.

Biochar-mediated regulation of greenhouse gas emission and toxicity reduction in bioremediation of organophosphorus pesticide-contaminated soils

Organophosphorus pesticides(OPPs) are a set of toxic persistent organic pollutants(POPs) present in the environment. Recently, biochar-mediated bioremediation has exhibited many advantages over conventional methods for the remediation of pesticide-contaminated soil. In the present study, biochar and nitrogen fertilizer(NH_4NO_3)were employed to remediate OPP-contaminated soil and the greenhouse gas(GHG) emission during 90 days of incubation was investigated. After thermal desorption treatment, the content of organophosphorus pesticides reduced from 175.61 μg·kg^(-1) to 62.68 μg·kg^(-1). The addition of NH_4NO_3 in the following bioremediation led to larger reduction(34.35%) of the pesticide concentration than that of biochar(31.90%) for the contaminated soils with thermal desorption treatment, while the simultaneous addition of biochar and NH_4NO_3 led to the largest reduction of pesticide concentration(11.07%) for the soil without thermal desorption treatment. The addition of biochar and NH_4NO_3 only slightly increased the emission rate of GHGs from the soil without thermal treatment,but remarkably increased the emission rate of GHGs from the soil after thermal treatment. In most cases, the addition of NH_4NO_3 is more effective than biochar to promote the degradation of pesticide, but also exhibited higher GHG emission. The microbial community analysis suggests that the enhanced degradation of pesticide is mainly owing to the increased activity of microorganism.

Determination of Eight Organophosphorus Pesticide Residues in Pepper by QuEChERS-Gas Chromatography

[ Objectives] This study was conducted to establish a QuEChERS-gas chromatography method for determination of eight kinds of organophosphorus pesticide residues in pepper. [Methods] The samples were extracted by acetonitrile, and anhydrous magnesium sulfate was used for salting out. The extracts were then purified by dispersive solid phase extraction combining with GCB, C18 and PSA. Samples were analyzed by FPD detector. External standard was used as quantitive method. [ Results] The detection limits were in the range of 0. 001 -0. 008 mg/kg, the average recoveries ranged from 83.5% to 101.2% , and the relative standard deviation （RSD） of the eight organophosphorus pesticide residues were below 5%. [ Conclusions] The method is simple, quick, easy and effective for the determination of pepper.

Effect of structure and function of paraoxonase-1(PON-1)on organophosphate pesticides metabolism

Paraoxonase-1(PON1)is an important enzyme in various pathologies such as pesticide poisoning,diabetes,atherosclerosis,neuronal disorders,and cancer,due to its multifunctional activity since it acts on different metabolites.However,one of its main functions is the hydrolysis of organophosphate(OP)compounds from pesticides that cause fatal poisoning at the level of the central nervous system(CNS).The objective of this review was to investigate whether the structure,genetics,and function of PON1 affect the metabolism of organophosphate pesticides or other abnormalities.Information was selected from articles in the database PubMed–NCBI(https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/)with a publication date between 2011 and 2019.The enzymatic activity of PON1 can be modified depending on its chemical structure since there are different genetic polymorphisms that change PONI morphologies or the levels of expression in the bloodstream.This leads to differences in susceptibilities to organophosphate pesticide poisoning.The results of this review reveal that phenotypic variants of PON1 have differences in affinities for OP substrates.

Organophosphorus Pesticide Extraction and Cleanup from Soils and Measurement Using GC-NPD

The objectives of this study were to optimize instrumental parameters and conditions for analysis of selected organop- hosphorus pesticides (OPPs) by gas chromatography (GC) with nitrogen-phosphorus detection (NPD) (GC-NPD); to select an appropriate solvent system; to conduct a comparison of sonication and shaking extractions; and to select an appropriate procedure for extracting organophosphorus pesticides from soils. Procedure I consisted of n-hexane or petroleum ether together with acetone used as solvents, while Procedure contained several solvents including acetone, methanol, dichloromethane, and n-hexane or petroleum ether. Experimental results indicated that a mixture of petroleum ether/acetone (2:1, v/v) could be used in place of n-hexane/acetone (2:1, v/v) as it was a less expensive solvent system. In addition, shaking under a water bath at 20 °C was more effective than sonication. Also, Procedure I was more effective, safer, and more timesaving than Procedure Procedure I was applied to three soil types of different organic matter content, with recoveries of the OPPs from the yellow-brown soils, which had a higher organic matter content, being lower than those from the yellow and red soils.